Y7v YA2%2 THE NOCTURNES OF CHOPIN THESIS Presented to the Graduate Council of the North Texas State College in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements For the Degree of MASTER OF MUSIC By Monte Hill Davis Alexander, B. Mus. Denton, Texas June, 1957 PREFACE A nocturne is a night piece, or instrumental serenade, usually of a quiet lyrical nature, but sometimes (as in Chopin's Nocturnes) it has a more agitated middle section.1 The Italian term "notturno" ("night piece") was used in the eighteenth century to mean music for evening entertain- ment, and therefore indistinguishable from "serenade." The term "notturno" appears at least as early as Haydn (1732- 1809). In 1790 he wrote eight notturni scored for two lire organizzate (or flute and oboe), two clarinets,, two horns, two violas and a bass. They were composed for Ferdinand IV, then King of Naples. Later Haydn replaced the lira with the viola to enable him to use some of them at Salomon's concerts in London.2 Mozart used the term "notturno" in the title of his Serenade No. 8 (Notturno), K. 286, written in three move- ments for four orchestras.3 Instrumentation of each orchestra of this notturno calls for one horn, in D, two violins, one 1 The liturgical use of the term "nocturne" for certain night services of the Roman Catholic Church has no connection with the present study. 2 Marion M. Scott, "Haydn," Grove's Dictionary of Music and Musicians, 5th ed., -edited by Eric Blom (London,New York, 1954), Vol.~IV. 3 George Grove and Eric Blom, "Nocturne," Grove's Diction- ar of Music and Musicians, Vol. VI. iii viola, and one basso. The three movements: are: Andante, Allegretto grazioso, Menuetto. Einstein says that K. 286 occupies a place between.Mozart's wind serenade and his early Italianate symphonies." 4 John Field (1782-1837), an Irishman, was the first com- poser to use the French term "nocturne," and was the inventor of the nocturne for piano. It can be seen with a glance at the scores that the orchestral notturni by the eighteenth century composers, such as the ones previously mentioned, were very different than what is generally thought of today as a nocturne. Field introduced the idea of the nocturne that has remained much the same since. Frederic Chopin enlarged and improved the genre invented by Field, but it was Field'as originality that brought this type of piece to piano literature. Indeed, John Field is hardly remembered today except as the inventor of the nocturne for the piano and for his influence on Chopin's Nocturnes. For that alone musicians will remain indebted to him. 4Alfred Einstein, Mozart, translated by Arthur Mendel and Nathan Broder (London, New York,: Paris, 1945), p. 208. iv TABLE OF CONTENTS Page P REFACE . "., 0 " iii ,S LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS . I " vi Chapter I. THE NOCTURNES OF JOHN FIELD . 1 II. THE NOCTURNES OF FREDERIC CHOPIN . 0 . 0 16 III. CONCLUSIONS - - . 0 0 . 0 . 59 APPENDIX 1. .. 0 0 0 " 0 61 APPENDIX II . .0" " .0." " 76 BILIGRPH .. .. ,, . , .. S 0 77 V LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS Figure Page 1.. Chopin, Nocturne0. , No.1,. m. 52 . 17 2. Chopin, Nocturne _. 9, No. 1, mm. 2-3 . 18 3. Chopin, Nocturne _om. 9, No. 1, mm.-15-18 . 24 4. Chopin, Nocturne _2g. 9, No. ., mm. 88-89 . 27 5. Chopin, Nocturne Qm. 1.5, No. 1, mm. 23-25 . 30 6. Chopin, Nocturne _. 15, No. 1, mm. 17-24 . 31 7. Chopin, Nocturne 22. 15,No. 2, mm. 1-3 . 32 8. Chopin, Nocturne _2. 2, No. 2, mm. 42-45 . 38 9. Chopin, Nocturne 22. 27, No. 2, mm. 62-64 . 39 10. Comparison of Field Nocturne No. 5 and Chopin Nocturne p. 32, No.. 2 . .~.~. 41 11. Chopin, Nocturne _2. 37, No.. 2, mm. 13-16 . 46 12. Chopin, Nocturne22. 55, No. 2, m. 9 - . 53 vi CHAPTER I THE NOCTURNES OF JOHN FIELD There is an extreme scarcity of material written about John Field. W. H. Grattan Flood's book (see Appendix for that work in its entirety) apparently is the only separate study in English. In his book there is an acknowledgment of a German study on Field by Heinrich Dessauer that was pre- sented as a thesis for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy at the University of Leipzig (not available for this study). Beyond this there are only brief articles about Field in Grove's Dictionary of Music and Musicians Fetis' Bio raphie Universelle des Musicians, De Bekker's Music and Musicians, Eric Blom' s Everm an' s Dictionary of Music, Theodore Baker's Biographical Dictionary of musicians, Percy Scholes' The Oxford Companion to Music, and David Ewen's Composers of Yesterday. Owing to this lack of bibliography on Field, the material for the following synopsis of Field's career has, unless otherwise indicated in footnote citations, been based on Flood's work. When published, Flood's John Field of Dublin was limited to 450 copies, printed from hand-set type. This was in 1920, and it is doubtful that many copies are in existence in America at the present time. 1 2 John Field was born in Golden Lane, Dublin, on July 26, 1782. For two or three generations the Fields had been em- ployed as professional musicians and John Field began his studies of music, specifically of the piano, when he was seven. His grandfather taught him, and his father super- vised his practice. In 1791 he was sent to the then famous 1 Tommaso Giordani for "finishing lessons" on the piano. He made his first major public appearance at the age of nine in Dublin. In the year 1793 he blossomed forth as a composer and published an arrangement (with variations) of an old Irish air: Go to the Devil and Shake Yourself. In the summer of 1793, Field's father was invited to become leader of the orchestral concerts at Bath. It was thus that John Field left Dublin. Less than six months later Robert Field, the father, was offered another engagement in London which he accepted. As soon as the Fields were settled in London, John Field began his studies with Muzio Clementi (1752-1832). He also studied violin with G. F. Pinto,2 who 1 "Toimmaso Giordani, " Baker's . Biographical Dictionary of Musicians, 4th ed., edited by Theodore Baker (New York, 1940). Tommaso Giordani was born in Naples,, 1730, and died in Dublin, 1806. He was engaged in 1788 as official composer and orches- tra director of The New Theatre Royal, Dublin. In 1792 he gave a Lenten series of "Spiritual Concerts," at one of which John Field, then eight years old, made his second public appearance as a pianist. Field was nine years old at this time. The ad- vertisements said he was eight years old and apparently Baker accepted their word. 2 Carl Ferdinand Pohl, "George Frederick Pinto," Grove's Dictionary of Music and Musicians: (London, New York, 1954), Vol. VI. Pinto was born in London, September, 1786, and died March, 1806. He was a violinist, singer, pianist, and composer. later dedicated a piano sonata "to my friend John Field." The sonata was published in 1800. On February 7, 1799, Pinto had a benefit concert at the Haymarket Theatre. The chief attraction was Master Field. He played his own concerto, composed for the occasion, and was given an excellent review in The Morning Chronicle (February 9, 1799). Clement appreciated the genius of Field but instead of exploiting him as a virtuoso, he had the idea of a European tour, with Field acting as a salesman for the Clementi pianos. In the meantime he published four or five pieces by Field, among which were three sonatas, one dedicated to Clementi. In August, 1802, the two pianists went to Paris, where Field's playing of Bach's Fugues and of pieces by Handel and Clementi took that city by storm. At length they reached St. Peters- burg, where Clementi opened a showroom for the sale of his firm' s pianos. He was still using Field to display the instru- ments to the best advantage.3 3 "'Clementi,' a man in his best years, of an extremely lively disposition, and very engaging manners, 'liked very much to converse with me (in French, which from my great practice in St. Petersburg I soon spoke pretty fluently)' and often invited me after dinner to play at billiards. In the evening, I sometimes accompanied him to his large piano- forte warehouse, where Field was often obliged to play for hours to display the instruments to the best advantage to the purchasers. The diary speaks with great satisfaction of the technical perfection and the 'dreamy melancholy' of that young artist's execution. I have still in recollection the figure of the pale, overgrown youth, whom I have never since seen. When Field, who had outgrown his clothes, placed him- self at the piano, stretched out his arms over the keyboard, so that the sleeves shrunk up nearly to the elbows, his whole figure appeared awkward and stiff in the highest degree; but 4 When Clementi left St. Petersburg in 1803, Field stayed behind as a guest of General Merkloffski. During the years- 1804 to 1807 Field's services as a virtuoso and as a teacher, were much in demand, and he gave numerous concerts which proved highly remunerative. He soon acquired a knowledge of French, German, and Russian, and was a great favorite in the most select circles. He became indolent and frivolous due to so much petting plus the fact that he was very absent- minded and eccentric.